POPPY MOMENTS

When I first saw the Peaceful Poppies Suite in Stampin' Up!'s January-June 2020 mini catalog, I loved it . . . the images, colors, coordinating products . . . all of it.  

PEACEFUL POPPIES SUITE

Unfortunately, the entire suite wasn't in my budget, and it was difficult to decide which of the products I should purchase.  The product that continued to call to me was the Poppy Moments dies.  Whether I'd have to wait to purchase either or both stamp sets, I knew that I could make pretty things with just the dies.  FYI . . . the inventory is currently low on these dies, so order quickly if you're as smitten with them as I am!

Just look at these beautiful dies!!!

  

I finally bought them, and this is the first card that I made:

I love the layering cuts for the leaves, and doesn't the cut-out flower outline look pretty on its own?  This is a set of dies that I can REALLY use again and again, and I'm so excited to have them!

Other products featured on my card include:

Modern Heart stamp set

Country Floral 3D embossing folder

Stitched Shapes dies

Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder

Heat Tool

Embossing Buddy

Peaceful Poppies DSP

Whisper White cardstock

Vellum cardstock

Pear Pizzazz cardstock

Poppy Parade cardstock

Old Olive cardstock

Basic Black cardstock

Poppy Parade Classic Stampin' Pad

VersaMark Ink Pad

Need assistance with any Stampin' Up! products?  Let me know!  Ready to place an order?  Just click HERE and be sure to enter my current Hostess Code (2BSA4ZJG), and I'll send you a handmade thank you card!

SKETCH CHALLENGE

In my Facebook group, I posted the following sketch for this week's challenge:

The sketch was found on Pinterest, and I borrowed it from Julee Tilman's "Mojo Monday 521" blog post.  I thought it looked like a fun sketch, and it looked really easy, too.  As a matter of fact, it was fun and easy!  This is the card that I made for my aunt Betty:

Stampin' Up! products featured on my card include:

Cardstock:  Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Gorgeous Grape, Highland Heather

Specialty:  Vellum cardstock, Silver Foil Sheets

Dies:  Stitched Shapes, Stitched So Sweetly

Embossing Folder:  Coastal Weave

Stamp Set:  Modern Heart

Accessories:  Baker's Twine, Rhinestone Jewels, Silver Sequins, Stampin' Dimensionals

Would you like to play along with the challenges in my Facebook group (and see project ideas)?  Email me at randari@hotmail.com with the subject "Join Facebook Group", and I'll send you an invitation.  I'd love to have you join us.

ETA:  A Stamping Sponge was used to color the front of the white envelope with Gorgeous Grape and Highland Heather ink, and then I randomly stamped the image from "Flourishing Phrases" stamp set with Gorgeous Grape ink.

THE LAST OF MY 2020 VALENTINE DESIGNS

Between the layers on these cards, there's a scalloped circle that rotates to reveal four different words.  The stamped layer features Stampin' Up!'s Beautiful Friendship images, of which I cannot get enough!  From the photo below, you get a glimpse of how those same beautiful images were used to decorate the inside of the cards.  The tiny hearts that appear in the word window are from the To Every Season stamp set from the 2019 Holiday catalog.

Stampin' Up! colors featured on these cards are Whisper White, Old Olive, and Petal Pink.  The frame around the "word window" is from one of the Noble Peacock Specialty Designer Series Papers, which are jewel-toned with foil accents.  Foam Adhesive Strips were used to separate the layers on these cards.

So this completes the sharing of my 2020 Valentines.  I think now it is time to start working on Spring projects!

CROSS-STITCHED HEART + A QUICK & EASY VALENTINE

Ready to see two more Valentine cards?  Not the best photos, but here goes . . .

This first card features a cross-stitched heart design that was framed with an embossed layer:

I had lofty goals of using this design for all of my Valentines this year, but it didn't take long to realize that I didn't have time to complete enough of them.  Along the way, I discovered a heart that was quicker to stitch, but this three-color design was my favorite.  On this one, I finished it by adding three hotfix Swarovski crystals, which added the perfect amount of sparkle!

The last card that I made was the quickest and most simple of all.  A stencil and white Craft ink were used to place the hearts on the Crumb Cake cardstock, and the sentiment was embossed with white Stampin' Emboss Powder onto Early Espresso cardstock.

VALENTINE SHAKER CARD

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I had every intention of sharing photos of a few "cards for the occasion" earlier in the week, but it just didn't happen.  Better late than never, right?  

First up is one of my favorites this year . . . a fun shaker card!  I absolutely love sequins.  Or maybe I love collecting them.  This week I actually used a few of them, along with clear beads, for the shaker bits.  If you're thinking this card looks slimmer than the standard A2 size, you're correct.  

I think the size of this card is perfect for its simple yet fun design, and the gold-embossed sentiment tag just looks nicer extending slightly past the edge.

Stampin' Up! products featured on this card include:
To Every Season stamp set
Good Greetings (retired) stamp set
Layering Squares dies
Stitched So Sweetly dies
Window Sheets
Blushing Bride glimmer paper
Whisper White cardstock
Firm Foam adhesive
Blushing Bride ink
VersaMark ink
Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder

I have a couple more Valentine cards to share this weekend, but this is all for now.  Have a great day!!!

QUILT CARD + AUNT BETTY'S RAG QUILT

At the beginning of last September, I decided to make rag quilts to give to family members for Christmas.  This was quite a huge decision since it would be my first sewing experience.  And so I spent hours choosing flannel fabric online and ordered 32 yards of assorted colors and prints.  I think it was the day after I'd ordered all of that fabric that I was offered a job.  Hmmmm . . . even though the job was part-time, it would tremendously cut into my sewing time.  There were times that it seemed nearly impossible to get all of those quilts made, but I did it!!!  When my mother mentioned to aunt Betty that I'd been feverishly working to complete some quilts, she said she'd like to have one so, of course, I needed to make a quilt for her.  I was fortunate to have enough leftover fabric from the quilts that I'd made for my parents and my sister, and I only needed to buy two yards of the tangerine fabric to fill in the gaps.  Aunt Betty's quilt didn't take long to make, and I delivered it to her last Sunday . . . with a coordinating card, of course.  This is what the quilt and card looked like all folded and ready for wrapping:

The feather and plaid fabric was leftover from the quilt I had made for my parents, and the tangerine and beetles fabric was leftover from my sister's quilt.  

For the card, I used poster board and cardstock held together with a brad in the corner to create a swing/slide opening.  Of course, the front needed a quilty design, and I used designer paper scraps for that.

I apologize for the quality of the photos.  Besides the fact that the tangerine color is difficult to photograph, I could have used more lighting in the room.  

Aunt Betty loved her quilt!  I'm sure she thought she'd NEVER see the day when I'd be giving her something that I had made with a sewing machine--but it happened!

"COASTAL WEAVE" & "TIMELESS TROPICAL" THANK YOU

I love this card!  The colors, texture, bling . . . everything about it.

Doesn't the braided trim pair nicely with the Coastal Weave embossed texture?

The flowers were fussy cut from a piece of Tropical Oasis designer paper.  All of the papers in that collection are so pretty and, as you can see, the colors are vivid and gorgeous!  And yes, I used one of the Stitched So Sweetly dies to cut the sentiment layer.  Stampin' Up! products featured on this card include:

Cardstock:  Soft Sea Foam, Petal Pink, Whisper White, Vellum

Designer Paper:  Tropical Oasis

Stamp Set:  Timeless Tropical

Dies/Embossing Folders:  Coastal Weave embossing folder, Stitched So Sweetly dies, In the Tropics dies

Accessories:  Champagne Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Braided Burlap Trim, Stampin' Dimensionals

"TIMELESS TROPICAL" HELLO CARD

Links to learn more about (and/or purchase) the products featured in this post are highlighted in pink.  You're welcome.

TIMELESS TROPICAL BUNDLE

When I flipped through the January-June Mini Catalog last month, my first thought was that I would never purchase the tropical products because I had done that in the past and didn't plan to go that route again.  But . . . that pineapple.  There was just something about that pineapple that I couldn't resist.  I thought about it for days, weeks--a month, really.  I said, "Self! Stop obsessing!!!"  I continued to have visions of myself getting a lot of use from this fantastic bundle, so I finally (with the absence of shame) bought it.  I love the two dies that make up the pineapple, and I love the size of it!  There's even an entire suite of products to pair with my gorgeous pineapple.  

TROPICAL OASIS SUITE

Once my order arrived, I used a strip of fruity designer paper to create this cheery card to send to my niece and her family.  They moved to Michigan right after Christmas, and I thought they could use a little something tropical to make them feel warm and fuzzy (especially warm) . . . and oh, so loved and missed.  It was dark when I took the photo, so I apologize for the quality of it.  

Here's another look at the gorgeous Tropical Oasis designer paper:

TROPICAL OASIS DESIGNER PAPER

Other new products featured on my card include this embossing folder that will get a LOT of use:

COASTAL WEAVE 3D EMBOSSING FOLDER

and this AWESOME set of dies:

STITCHED SO SWEETLY DIES

There's a coordinating stamp set for the dies, but I didn't want to break the bank.  Do yourself a favor and give the dies a really good look because this is a fantastic collection!  

One last reminder . . . SALE-A-BRATION began this month, so don't forget that you can earn a FREE Sale-a-Bration product with each $50 that you spend.  If you choose to make a purchase through my web site, I would appreciate it very much and will send you a handmade card!  I always appreciate when customers use my Hostess Code (on orders that are less than $150), and the current code can always be found in the top left sidebar on Ramsour's photo (my handsome Border Collie).  As of this writing, the January 2020 code is G J 2 2 H M 4 S.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

SHAKER CARD FOR BABY

One of my stampin' friends became a grandmother during the holidays.  Don't you know that was a special time?!?!  Well . . . that may be one of life's moments that you've experienced, but it's one that I've only known from the outside looking in.  Today I'm sharing a photo of the shaker card that I made for the occasion:

I used Stampin' Up!'s retired Something for Baby stamp set and coordinating dies for the onesie and bib.  I knew when I purchased this bundle that it would be a keeper, and it has come in handy a couple of times.  While this bundle has all of the baby-themed images that you could ask for, it doesn't have any sentiments.  Itty Bitty Greetings to the rescue with that perfect "sweet baby" sentiment inside the shaker window!  There wasn't anything difficult or unique in the making of this card, but I thought it was loaded with layers and texture--and just so sweet.  What do you think?

FAREWELL TO "BRIGHTLY GLEAMING"

One of my favorite holiday bundles from Stampin' Up! this year was Brightly Gleaming.  The designer paper was gorgeous with its foil accents, the stamp set had a perfect mix of images and sentiments, and I LOVED the two coordinating punches!  Knowing that I always run out of time to get my cards made, I thought it would be oh so handy to be able to quickly punch my stamped images--and it was.  All of the stamped holly leaf images had to be hand-cut, but that was quicker than you might think.  And so . . . following are some of the cards that I created with this fun bundle:

I previously shared this FUN shaker card on my blog, but it's worth seeing again, right?

This card was a CASE by Narelle Farrugia.  Isn't it just so pretty?

Last, but not least, is this CASE from the Holiday Catalog.  When I first looked through the catalog, I loved this card so much and knew that I would make a set of them.  I may not have gotten around to making a whole set, but I did make a couple.  I still love this card--its slim size, the colors, the placement of images and sentiments and, of course, the ribbon and rhinestones.

I hope you and yours have had a very Merry Christmas and

that 2020 will be a year filled with many blessings.